Before we make the final decision to actually breed with our dogs, they of course first get all the health
examinations that are important for the breed. Besides the mandatory hip and elbow shots, we also find it important that an X-ray is made of the lower back for any abnormalities of the lumbosacral transition vertebra.
Besides x-rays of hips, elbows and lower back and the patella luxation examination, extensive DNA testing is done and the ECVO eye examination which must be repeated annually.
NAD stands for Neuroaxonal Dystrophy and is an inherited neurological disorder that often has a very distressing course. The 1st symptoms often occur at a young age. The disorder only became known in 2019 and since September 2023 it has become possible to test for it. First only in America, but since 2024 also in Europe. NAD is inherited autosomal recessive. This means that only animals that have two copies of the mutated gene are affected by the disease and develop NAD. Animals that are carriers of only one mutated gene do not develop symptoms of the disease, but can pass on the mutated gene to their offspring, so that if two carriers mate with each other, there is a 25% risk of having offspring with NAD - which therefore have a lower life expectancy. Breeding with carriers is possible, but only with animals that are free of the genetic defect. This ensures that no more sufferer puppies are born.
On the site of the ASCN under the heading 'Health' the examinations are accurately described:
( https://ascn.nl )
We are an advocate of tailored vaccination. That is absolutely not to say that we are against vaccination! On the contrary, we think it is very important that dogs are properly vaccinated and therefore protected. Nowadays you can titrate the cocktail vaccination (parvo, hepatitis and distemper) which gives you a much clearer picture of whether your dog really needs the vaccination, but also whether a vaccination has been successful. This can already be done for puppies around the age of 6 to 7 weeks. For the vaccinations of Rabies which is necessary for abroad, the Weil's disease and kennel cough you can not titrate. Whether you have these vaccinations put on your dog is a personal consideration. Of course we would like to help you with the pros and cons and in what situations certain vaccinations are preferable to not vaccinating. Nevertheless, it will always be a personal thing that someone has to feel comfortable with. Experience shows that many vets, especially those who are not so familiar with titration, almost always advise to vaccinate. However, in addition to "tailored vaccination," a "tailored advice" in this is certainly important. It is also preferable to leave a few weeks time between the various vaccinations, but certainly between deworming, defleaundering, etc. to allow the body to process it first. We also think it's important that you really study the different drugs to make the right choice. This concerns not only the vaccination, but also the various means of deworming, defleaundering and ticks.
Our puppies will be titrated in the litter and we would appreciate it if you would go along with this. Of course we like to look with you for veterinarians in your area who are qualified for this.